Letter sealing device for joint use with postage meters



W. FAUST Aug. 8, 1967 LETTER SEALING DEVICE FOR JOINT USE WITH POSTAGE METERS 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed June 8, 1965 g- 8, 1 6 W. FAUST 3,334,610

LETTER SEALING DEVICE FOR JOINT USE WITH POSTAGE METERS Filed June 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WW A] WM w WW United States Patent Office 3,334,610 Patented Aug. 8, 1967 3,334,610 LETTER SEALING DEVICE FOR JOINT USE WITH POSTAGE METERS Walter Faust, Urberach, Germany, assignor to Telefonhau and Normelzeit Gambit-1., Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed June 8, W65, Ser. No. 462,219 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 1, 1964, T 26,721 1 Claim. (til. 118-32) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUM Described below is a letter sealing device provided with a fixed letter-flap-moistening surface and with baffle means shiftable to two limit positions for controlling the path of mail through the sealing device to cause mail to engage and to by-pass selectively said fixed letter-flapmoistening surface.

This invention relates to letter sealing devices, and more particularly to letter sealing devices for processing mail preparatory to admission thereof to a postage meter, i.e. to letter sealing devices for joint use with postage meters.

Mail to be imprinted in an automatic postage meter is generally stored in stack-form. Single letters taken from such a stack are run through a letter sealing device where the flaps thereof are moistened, and thereupon sealed, and passed through the postage meter. In such a set-up difficulties tend to arise if the mail to be processed includes envelopes which should not be sealed as, for instance, envelopes with printed matter, as contrasted with letter mail.

It is one object of this invention to provide a letter sealing device avoiding difficulties when processing mixed mail, i.e. mail including letters which should be sealed, and also including letters which should not be sealed.

()ne possibility of coping with such a situation is to substitute a flat conveyor table for the sealing device whenever envelopes are being processed which are not intended to be sealed. Such substitution is cumbersome and time consuming.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide a letter sealing device that does not call for the above substitution when processing mixed mail.

A prior art sealing device is provided with a pivotable moistening pad which is normally in an operative position for moistening the flaps of letter in transit through the sealing device, but which may be pivoted out of the path of such letters whenever no moistening action is desired. Because of the pivotal support of the moistening pad in such devices their sealing action is not very satisfactory when called to seal envelopes of various kinds.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide a sealing device capable of discriminating between letters to be moistened, and letters not to be moistened, yet having fixed rather than pivotally supported moistening means.

Sealing devices embodying this invention are provided with a fixed letter-fiap'moistening surface and with baffle means shifable to two limit positions for controlling the path of mail through the sealing device to cause mail to engage and by-pass selectively said fixed letter-flapmoistening surface. Shifting of the aforementioned baffie means is effected by a projection integral with said baffie means, an eccentric having a groove engaged by said projection, a shaft pivotally supporting said eccentric and a handle on said shaft for operating said eccentric to cause said bafile means to be shifted to said two limit positions thereof.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show in detail only so much of a composite letter sealing device and of a postage meter as is necessary for a clear understanding of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic isometric view of a postage meter combined with a letter sealing device embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a top-plan view of the letter sealing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along A-B of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is ta section along C-D of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, reference numeral 1 has been applied to generally indicate a postage meter and reference numeral 2 has been applied to generally indicate a letter sealing device. The postage meter 1 and the letter sealing device 2 are formed by separate complementary units. The housing of the letter sealing device 2 accommodates a water reservoir or water tank 4 clearly shown in FIG. 2. An aperture in the housing of the letter sealing device 2 giving access to water reservoir, or water tank 4 is normally closed by a fixed lid 3 held in position by fasteners (not shown). Lid 3 may be removed from the housing of letter sealing device 2 for the purpose of replenishing the water supply in tank or reservoir 4. Reference numeral 6 has been applied to indicate the horizontal top surface of letter sealing device 2. A tongue or blade member 5 is attached to lid 3 and is arranged in spaced relation from top surface 6-. In other words, top surface 6 and tongue or blade member 5 form a gap therebetween. Letters or other mail may be moved through the aforementioned gap either manually, or by automatic means (not shown). A moistening pad or cloth 9 is provided to moisten the adhesive on the flaps 7 of envelopes while in transit through the aforementioned gap. One end of moistening pad or cloth 9 is clamped against tongue or blade member 5 by means of a sheet metal clamp 10 provided on the lower surface of tongue or blade member 5. The other end of moistening pad or cloth 9 extends into tank or reservoir 4 and thus moistening pad or cloth 9 is permanently maintained in moist condition.

Reference character 12 has been applied to indicate a bafiie member which may be raised to an upper limit position and lowered to a lower limit position. The former position has been indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4 in solid lines and the latter position has been indicated in FIG. 3 in dotted lines. Baffle member 12 is provided on the lower side thereof with a pair of guide pins 14 arranged in slide bearings into which pins 14 are inserted. Helical springs 23 mounted on guide pins 14 bias baffle member 12 in upward direction. Projection 15 integral with bafile member 12 engages a groove 16 in an eccentric 17. Eccentric 17 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 18 supported by bearings provided in the housing of letter sealing device 2. Shaft 18 is provided with a handle 19 by means of which bafile member 12 may be raised, or lowered, at will. Reference numeral 22. has been applied to indicate the left edge of tongue or blade member 5. Bafile member 12 is provided with an inclined letterdeflecting surface 20 which ends in a ridge or crest 21 parallel to edge 22 of tongue or blade member 12.

If it is intended to seal letters automatically preparatory to processing thereof in postage meter 1, handle 19 is turned so as to move bafile member 12 by the intermediary of shaft 18, eccentric 17 and projection 17 engaging grooves 16 to the aforementioned lower limit position indicated in FIG. 3 by dotted lines. In that position the ridge or crest 21 of bafile member 12 is situated at a lower level than the top surface 6 of the letter sealing device 2. Hence baffle member 12 is rendered ineffective, and as a consequence thereof the flaps 7 of letters 8 admitted to the gap formed between parts and 6 will be moistened by engagement with pad or cloth 9, or an equivalent moistening medium.

If and when baffle member 12 is raised to its upper limit positionshown in solid lines in FIG. 3-by means of handle 19 and the mechanism operatively related to handle 19, baffle member 12 precluded admission of mail to the gap formed between parts 5 and 6 and shunts any mail passing through the letter sealing device 2 across the aforementioned gap, thus causing the mail to by-pass the gap. As a result, the flaps of envelopes of such mail are not moistened by engagement with the moistener 9 and, therefore, such mail remains open.

The entrance into the gap formed between parts 5 and 6 may be wider than the width of the front of bafie 12, but the latter should be sufficiently wide to close and obstruct the preponderant portion of the width of said entrance when envelopes are being processed whose flaps are not supposed to be moistened.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail in connection with a specific embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that other embodiments will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and are considered to be within the broad scope of this invention, reference being had to the appended claim for the statutory definition thereof.

I claim as my invention:

A letter sealing device for processing mail preparatory to admission thereof to a postage meter, said device comprising in combination:

(a) a pair of substantially flat plate-shaped elements defining a gap therebewteen including an entrance opening for the admission of mail into said gap and an exit opening for the delivery of mail from said p;

(b) moistening means for moistenin g the flaps of letters arranged inside said gap;

(c) baffle means arranged adjacent said entrance opening for controlling the admission of mail into said gap, said batfle means being shiftable to two limit positions and clearing said entrance opening in one of said two limit positions for the admission of mail into said gap, and said baffle means having a deflecting surface deflecting mail from said gap in the other of said two limit positions of said baffie means, said bafiie means including a projection integral therewith; and

(d) an eccentric having a groove engaged by said projection, a shaft pivotally supporting said eccentric and a handle on said shaft for operating said eccentric to cause said baffle means to be shifted to said two limit positions thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,352,149 6/1944 Gautier l18264 X 2,944,511 7/1960 Bach et al 118268 X FOREIGN PATENTS 328,100 4/1930 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

J. P. MCINTOSH, Assistant Examiner. 

